Did you just say meow?
by Anna-Jay
Summary: FINISHED! After the adventure, the group gets back together for a visit at Ari's house. Chaos comes when Kisling accidentally turns Ari, Stan, and Epros into cats. What is to come of this? Love of coarse!StanAriEpros
1. Chapter 1

**Title says it all. I was thinking of a part in Super Troopers and thought about the little abandoned kitten my friend and I found. It had orange fur and we named it Milo from a kid movie. Then, I renamed it Ed from Full Metal Alchemist. Then, I thought about it more, and renamed it Ari from Okage Shadow King.**

**Thus... also how this story came to be.**

**Pairings: Stan/Ari/Epros (chaos included)**

**Disclamer: Okage Shadow King is not mine. If it was though I would have Stan/Ari soo at the end of the game XD;**

Ari sighed and looked up from what he was reading to look at the Evil King and Hero argue. Stan had finally gotten his powers back and was not a shadow anymore. This gave Rosalyn a chance to try and defeat him and turn her shadow back to its original color. Rosalyn was currently pointing the Rapier at Stan and Stan was mouthing off insults. Ari sighed and turned back to his book. Even though the adventure ended, the group often got back together to see how the others were doing. Epros and Linda were talking to Big Bull while Kilsing was not in the room. He was probably talking to Ari's dad about toenails. The Princess was not there either. She left about three months ago, saying that she wanted to see the rest of the world. She also had given Ari back the music box. This gave Ari another chance to give the red music box to someone he loved.

Ari sighed again before putting the book away. It was no use to try and read while Stan and Rosalyn were fighting. He stood from his spot and walked over to Epros, Linda, and Big Bull. They talked for a bit before leaving the room, leaving Stan and Rosalyn alone in the room.

--Three hours later--

Stan and Rosalyn were still fighting. Epros was teaching Ari how to play a one player card game while Linda was going over her new lyrics with Big Bull. Kilsing was still talking with Ari's dad about toenails. The group was in the kitchen with Anne and Ari's mom, who was making dinner. Everybody stopped what they were doing when a loud crash was heard, followed by lots of curses and the sound of a thud. Everybody looked at the ceiling before all pointing to Big Bull.

"It's your turn!"

Big Bull looked uneasily at the ceiling before standing up and going upstairs. The rest sat there quietly before they heard the sounds of feet coming down the stairs. Big Bull came in the room first, followed by Rosalyn and then Stan. Both Rosalyn and Stan had at least one black eye and lots of cuts, scratches, and ripped clothing. They both were glaring daggers at each other before Anne went up to Rosalyn and asked her if she was okay. Soon the two girls were in a long conversation about their shadows and girl stuff. Stan huffed before sitting down next to Ari and watching him play the card game.

Soon everything went back to normal.

After awhile, they all ate the meal Ari's mom made and after word played a card game. Stan won five rounds, but was caught cheating after the sixth round. Ari won the seventh game and Linda won the eighth. Epros and Stan had a draw on the ninth one and on the tenth one Ari won again. Rosalyn would have won the eleventh one but Stan drew the card he needed and won, making him and Rosalyn get into another fight. Ari was caught in the middle of it and ended up with a black eye from Rosalyn.

After Ari got an ice pack for his eye and Rosalyn apologized, the group went their own ways for before the day ended. Rosalyn went with Anne to town, Big Bull and Linda went to the lake, Epros went somewhere on his own he didn't tell anyone where he was going, and Stan and Ari stayed at the house. Ari went back to reading his book while Stan read over his shoulder. It was quiet for a while before Stan sighed and plopped down on Ari's bed.

"Ari, I'm bored. Entertain me." Ari looked up from his book to give his former "master" a strange look. That was a strange thing for Stan to say. He never ever asked Ari to for anything unless it was to find the fake Evil Kings or if it was a random question before a battle.

But he was never asked this.

Ari blinked at Stan before setting his book down.

"Entertain you? What do you want me to do?" Stan opened one eye before smirking. Ari rolled his eyes before picking up his book. "I'm not going to entertain you..." Stan made almost a whimper like noise before rolling off the bed and walking over to the window. He stared out it before fixing his gaze on Ari's reflection in the window, silently watching before something else caught his eye. Soon, the silence was once again broken.

"That princess gave you back the music box." Ari looked up from his book to glance over at the red box. He stared at it for awhile before returning his gaze to the book.

"Yeah... She said that she wasn't the one for me and that I could find someone else..." Stan watched his former slave in the window before turning to walk over to the desk which the music box was on. He carefully picked it up and opened it, letting the box play it's strange melody. Ari looked up from his reading to meet Stan's golden gaze. As Ari stared at Stan, he could feel his cheeks heat up. The two stared at each other before the door burst open.

"Ari! Mom wants to know if you want pancakes for tomorrow's breakfast." Ari blinked at his sister before replying shakily.

"Uh... Yeah, it's fine with me..." Anne looked at her brother and then Stan then looked back to Ari.

"Ari, why is your face red?" Ari blinked before covering his face with his hands, trying to cover up the deeper blush that was appearing.

"Um... I... I... I'm going to go see what Grandma and Grandpa are doing." With what, Ari rushed out of the room. Anne blinked before looking over at Stan.

"Is he okay?" Stan smiled before looking down at the still playing music box.

"He's perfectly fine." He replied, putting the box down. He then looked back up at Anne. "Shouldn't you be doing something besides bothering me, girl." Anne glared at him before walking out of the room, closing the door after her. Stan shook his head before picking up the music box again. He then rewound the box and sat it back down on the dresser, having the lid open to let it play. Stan then sat down on the chair Ari was sitting on and closed his eyes. As he listened, the owner of the music box came into his mind. Stan smiled as he though back to when he first met the boy. Ari was quite over shadowed, and a quiet boy. Stan could barely get any words out of him unless he was included into the conversation. Days and days during the journey, Stan saw progress in his little slave and he became less and less over shadowed. He also had many friends and the princess to look after him. Thinking back to the princess brat, Stan could never understand why he always felt strange when she was always around Ari. He always thought it was because Ari was his slave, not hers'. But he soon figured it out through all the fortunetellers that he was in love with Ari. He denied it at first, but now he welcomes it with open arms.

Stan slowly opened his eyes and glanced over at the still music box. It had ended it's song and silence filled the room. Stan stared at the box before sighing and standing up. He then gently closed the lid and fingered the golden carvings and the small decorations. He then slowly pulled away from it and allowed himself to walk away from it. He then made his way out the door and down the stares, hoping to find the green-eyed boy that he had just been thinking about.

-------

It was about an hour and a half when the group was back at the house. Linda was showing Ari her newest song and Epros was visiting with Anne and Big Bull. Kilsing was actually there in the same room with them, but he was still talking to Ari's dad about toenails. Stan and Rosalyn were having a staring contest from the opposite sides of the room, glaring at each other. This went on for awhile before everybody decided to go to bed.

Rosalyn and Linda were sharing a room with Anne, Kilsing and Big Bull were sharing a room together in one of the guest rooms, and Ari, Stan, and Epros were all sharing Ari's room. Everybody was saying good night to each other and going into their rooms. Ari was changing into his pajamas when he heard an argument between Stan and Epros. Sighing, Ari shook his head since he knew what the argument was about.

"I should get the bed! I am the Evil King!" Stan's voice.

"But thy always gets the bed when we visit Ari." Epros' voice.

"So? I am more superior to you, fake evil king!"

Ari rolled his eyes and slowly walked out of his closet where he was changing in. The two demons were glaring daggers at each other, both never seeming to hear Ari walk in. Ari stared at them for awhile before plopping down on his bed, too tired to try and stop the fight. As soon as he was adjusted on the bed and comfortable, he closed his eyes and instantly fell asleep.

Epros and Stan were still arguing when Stan noticed that Ari was sleeping already. Both not wanting to wake him up, they came to a quick sleeping agreement. Stan would sleep in Ari's shadow, since Stan could still do that, and Epros would sleep in the bed. As soon as Stan was in the Ari's shadow, Epros turned off the lights. He then crawled into the extra bed that was in the room and laid there. He wasn't very tired and wanted to think things over. He stared at the ceiling for a few minutes before sitting up to stare out the window. The stars and moon were shining very brightly, it's light casting small shadows in the room. Epros watched some of these shadows and soon found himself staring at the red head across the room. The red eyed phantom stared at Ari with longing. He wanted to tell the boy his feelings, but knew that Stan would probably beat him too it. His eyes narrowed when he thought of Stan. Thinking of this made him mad and he became mad at himself for not telling Ari his feelings. When he first met Ari he had a crush on him. Back then Stan also had a crush on Ari, but it didn't show as much. Now, after their adventures, almost everybody knew Stan liked Ari.

Well... Almost everybody.

Ari didn't notice at first, but was now starting to notice. Rosalyn noticed right away after the journey, making her want to protect Ari more from him. Linda thought it was just a normal little crush thing that would fade away. Both Kilsing and Big Bull had no idea what was going on. Epros was the only one who had noticed Stan's growing liking during the journey. Now the more Epros thought about it, he decided that the princess also knew. It was probably the reason to why she left.

Epros sighed and closed his eyes. He was finally becoming sleepy from all of his thoughts. He lay back down and rolled over to his side so he was facing the wall. He knew he was going to be dreaming of Ari this night, as he always did when they were over at his house. He sighed and closed his eyes, allowing himself to fall into the shadows of dreams.

As soon as Epros was asleep, he was not able to see two shadow like arms come out from the shadows. They carefully readjusted Ari's blankets, so he was warmer. They then disappeared back into the shadows. Soon the room was silent and still, only sounds were from the deep breathing of the sleeping dreamers.

_To be continued._

**Give me reviews and I will give you more chapters :D**


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter two is up and running! **

**Disclamer: Don't own characters or game!**

The next day, everything was going normal. The group was currently eating pancakes, or should I say for some of them, wearing the pancakes. Stan and Rosalyn had gotten into a fight and got pancake batter all over each other. They were currently glaring at each other, Rosalyn stabbing her poor pancake and Stan ripping at his.

Other than this, it was a good morning.

After breakfast and getting breakfast off of some of them, Linda, Rosalyn, and Anne went into Tenel to shop. Kilsing was off talking with Ari's dad again, Big Bull was working out somewhere around the house, and Epros, once again, had left without telling anybody where he was going. Ari stayed home to help his mom with chores and Stan went to give James a call.

All was going well in the house, Ari had gotten most of kitchen clean from after Stan's and Rosalyn's 'food fight' and was currently washing the dishes with his mom. It was quiet for most of the time. Ari's mom got done with washing the dishes and had asked Ari to dry the rest of them. She then walked out of the room, going to see if Grandma and Grandpa needed anything. Ari quietly finished with the dishes, but as he was putting away the last one, he dropped it. Ari winced when he heard the loud crash. The dish had shattered into a million pieces and they were scattered around the bare footed Ari. He stood very still, not wanting to get cut by any of them.

'Oh man, what am I going to do. Well... Mom must have heard it and should be coming soon.' Ari stood there for a few more minutes before he heard footsteps. He thought it was his mom, but it wasn't her. It was someone else.

"Are thou alright?" Ari blinked at Epros before smiling uneasily.

"Not really. I dropped a glass dish and it broke. I kind of need some help getting around it." Epros looked at the ground and saw that Ari didn't have shoes on. It didn't take Epros long to figure out how to get Ari out of his problem. He reached over and grabbed Ari from under his arms. Before Ari could ask what he was doing, he was lifted and in Epros' arms. He blinked up at Epros while Epros carried him away from the glass. He then put him down before going over to clean up the mess. Once he was done, he went and sat down at the table, next to Ari. The two were quiet, silently sitting besides each other. That is, until Ari flinched slightly when he moved his feet. Epros caught it and looked at Ari worriedly.

"Thou alright? Are thou hurt?" Ari didn't know. He shifted so he could raise the foot that hurt and looked at it carefully. Right on the top of his foot, was a small cut. Not too big to be a worry, but it still hurt. Ari then looked up at Epros and smiled.

"I'm alright. It's just a little cut."

'A little cut that stings like heck!' Ari thought, trying to ignore the pain. Epros seemed to notice, for he got up and looked around the room. He went around to one of the cabinets and opened it up. He made an 'ah' sound when he found what he was looking for. He came back soon with a blue band-aid. After getting it open, Epros placed it gently on the cut. Even though it didn't help the pain, it made Ari feel a bit better and made him not notice it that much. He smiled at Epros.

"Thank you, Epros." Epros smiled back. Soon, the two were quiet again, only now Epros was closer to Ari. It stayed like that for the longest time before Ari broke the silence.

"Epros, how did you know I was in here?" There was a long pause before Epros finally spoke up.

"I...---"

Before Epros could finish, the kitchen door slammed open. Stan entered the room and marched right on in. He was looking down at an article in the paper, thus not looking up.

"Hey, Ari, it says in here that next week Saturday there is going to be..." Stan had finally looked up and saw that Epros was also in the room with his green-eyed crush. At first, he blinked at him out of curiosity since he knew Ari was there since Ari's mom told him. He wasn't expecting Epros to be here also. Then, that curiosity turned to jealousy and anger. Why was he here with Ari?

"Epros, why are you here?" Epros just stared at Stan, catching right away the anger in his voice. The two had a staring contest, both daring the other to do something. Ari, sensing the tense in the air, decided to try and break it.

"So, um, Stan what did you come to tell me about?" Instead of getting an answer, silence filled the room. Ari was ignored. Ari sighed and stood up. "Well, I'm going to find Rosalyn. Bye." With that, Ari rushed out of the room.

As soon as the door shut did all hell break loose.

Ari blinked back at the door as he heard the sounds of crashing, breaking, and other not so good sounds. Everybody came running over as the fight in the kitchen continued. After about ten seconds Rosalyn ran into the kitchen. The rest of the group waited nervously as they waited for Rosalyn. Soon, the other room became silent. The group outside of the kitchen looked at each other before looking back at the door. Stan was the first to come out. He had a few cuts on his face, bruises, ripped clothing, and messy hair. He stormed out of the room and went into the living room. There was the sound of a door slamming, signaling that Stan had gone outside. Next to come out was Epros, who was just as bad as Stan. Rosalyn came out also. Her hair was a bit messy and she had a black eye. Other than that, she looked okay. She scowled at Epros, who in turn looked at the ground gloomily. Rosalyn just shook her head and walked off, Anne following in tow. Soon the rest of the group left too, all going back to their original things. Ari stayed a little longer to make sure Epros was okay. Epros just smiled at him before walking off to Ari's room. Ari stood in his spot a little longer before sighing and going off to find his mom.

-------

It was almost lunchtime when Stan finally came back to the house. He looked calmer, but whenever he saw Epros you could tell he wanted to strangle him. Ari tried to stay around Stan to help calm him. He asked him to help him with setting the plates out for lunch and to help him find a missing fork. It seemed to work, since Stan was always more friendly when around Ari. Just before lunch was set, Kilsing came down with a pitcher of blue liquid. Everybody stared at the liquid before looking at Kilsing.

"I call this a friendship maker liquid! I just whipped it up!" Everybody looked at each other before looking questionably at Kilsing again. Kilsing sighed before pointing at the pitcher. "Look, if Stan and Epros drink this they will become friends!" Both Stan and Epros looked at Kilsing as if he were crazy before glaring at one another. Ari looked back at one another before sighing.

"Come on you guys! Just try it, please? It might not even work and you two can continue hating each other." Both demons blinked at Ari before sighing. How could they say no to Ari? Before the two demons could agree to it, Kilsing started to talk again.

"Just to be on the safe side, since Ari seems to be in the middle of it, I think he should drink it too." Ari blinked before smiling uneasily.

"Um... Okay..."

With that settled, they had lunch. Stan and Epros both stared at the blue liquid, both thinking that if they drink it something bad would happen. Ari was also a bit uneasy, but slowly drank his. The two demons also drank theirs. Once lunch was over, the group went back to doing their own things. Since Kilsing wanted to know if his potion worked, he kept Stan, Ari, and Epros together. The three went into the living room while Kilsing and Rosalyn cleaned up around the kitchen. It was quiet for awhile before Rosalyn asked,

"Are you sure what they drank is okay? They won't get hurt from it will they?" Kilsing shook his head.

"No, no! It's perfectly safe!"

Just as he had said that, a strange poof sound came from the living room. Kilsing and Rosalyn looked at each other before rushing into the living room. As soon as they entered, the room was full of smoke. The two waited for awhile before the smoke cleared. What they found shocked them.

There on the floor were two cats, one with yellow fur and ruby red eyes, and one with black fur and fiery gold eyes. There was also one kitten, which had orange fur and emerald green eyes. The three felines looked up at Rosalyn and Kilsing, before Stan's voice was heard coming from the black cat.

"Nice going, you stupid scholar! How is this suppose to help!"

to be continued...

**I wonder what's going to happen next? Reviews are nice :D**


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3!**

**Disclamer: I DO NOT OWN OKAGE SHADOW KING! ... But I wish I did...**

----

The group sat in the living room, trying to figure out what went wrong and what turned their three comrades into felines. Ari was currently curled up in a little ball on his sister's lap, while Stan and Epros were testing out their new situation. Kilsing was holding what remained of the blue liquid that the three had drunk before the light bulb went off into his head.

"Oh! I just remembered! When I was mixing the potion a stay cat had come in through the window. As I was shooing him out, some of his fur must have landed into the potion! I think that must have been it." Stan stopped his exploring and glared up at him.

"Oh, you think?" Rosalyn shot a glare at Stan, who in turn hissed. Before Rosalyn could take the Rapier out, Ari piped in.

"Kilsing, is there a way to turn us back?" Kilsing looked over at the orange kitten before closing his eyes. He thought for a moment before opening them.

"Yes, I believe so, but it might take me awhile."

Two growls were heard from the black and the yellow cat.

"But, I should have you three turned back to your normal selves by next Friday or Saturday." Stan and Epros still didn't look very happy. That would be in another four days. Ari on the other hand, didn't really care. He hopped off Anne's lap and went to sit by the two unhappy felines. He blinked his large green eyes up at them before smiling.

"Hey come on you two! This could be fun..." Epros and Stan looked at Air. Stan had a skeptical look.

"Fun? Fun! You call being turned into a cat is fun? I would rather be back in that cursed bottle than be a cat!" Ari's ears drooped down and hung his head. Stan instantly regretted what he had said. Before he could take it back, Epros was at his side and wrapping his tail around the small kitten.

"Do not fret Ari. We shall enjoy our time in these forms, in the mean time thee should be happy and joyful." Ari smiled up at Epros before snuggling up to him, a cat instinct that had suddenly come to him. The rest of the group made an awe noise. Stan's fur stood up and he hissed dangerously at Epros, who took no mind to Stan. Just as Stan was about to pounce on Epros, Rosalyn broke in.

"Back to the subject, what are we going to do while they are in these forms?" Everybody looked at each other before looking at the felines.

"Well... I guess it couldn't hurt to have them roam around by themselves... What's the worse that could happen?" Everybody looked at Linda before replying,

"A lot could happen."

-----

In the end, they let the cats roam freely (although Rosalyn wanted to put Stan in a kitty kennel). Everybody went back to doing their own thing, leaving Stan, Epros, and Ari alone to do whatever they wanted. Stan and Epros decided to stay close to Ari, incase he got into trouble.

Which he did.

With a kitten mind, everything became something to explore. Ari had somehow climbed up the book case shelves and had gotten stuck at the top. Stan had to go and get him down, which he enjoyed very much since it got Epros mad and he got to carry Ari. The next thing Ari had gotten into was getting stuck on a hanging light. How he got up there is still a mystery. Epros had gotten him down with some of his magic skills he still had. Stan had to hold himself back as Epros nuzzled him to calm him after he had gotten him down. This went on until Stan and Epros decided to tie a bell around Ari's neck so they could keep track of him. Ari didn't mind, in fact he loved it. He would prance around, just to make it jingle. Both Stan and Epros laughed at the sight of Ari having so much fun in his kitten body. Since Ari was also in a kitten body, it made him even more adorable. Both Stan and Epros had to resist pouncing on him every time he got near. Even though they were doing this for Ari, Stan and Epros would occasionally hiss or growl every time the other got too close or was within sight. They were still mad at each other from the fight they had that morning. They were currently glaring at each other when Ari slid in between them.

"What should we do now? Can we go outside?" Stan was about to answer him, but Epros beat him too it.

"I think that would be a great plan! What do you think, Stan?" Stan just glared at Epros and walked toward the door.

"Come on." The black cat led the way, followed by a smirking yellow cat and a very happy orange kitten.

-----

Now, everyone knows what happens to cats when they go outside. They become extremely wide-eyed, crazy, and sneaky. That is what happened to these three. As soon as they went outside they played the game of, Hide and Seek. Although they weren't truly playing, if they saw one of the other felines they would go hide. If found the other they got pounced on. Both cats tried to find the kitten many times for this reason. Although they never could find him. Ari was very sneaky when it came to hide and seek and was never found.

But, he always found the other two. In the end, both Stan and Epros dubbed Ari the Kitten of Hide and Seek.

Soon afterwards, they all went off on their own. Stan went off to look at the birds, although when he said that he licked his lips. Epros had gone off on his own, still keeping to himself. This left Ari to do as he pleased. He explored in the tall grass, hunting for butterflies and dragonflies. As he did this, he wandered farther and farther away from the house. When Ari decided to look up, he found out that the house was no were in sight. Even though Ari had lived in this town and could probably figure out how to get back, he was quite frightened. Since he was so small, everything was very big and different. He looked around nervously before going in the direction he though he had come from.

Unnoticed to him, something was following him.

As Ari quietly tried to find his way back, he got the strange, uneasy feeling of being watched. He had gotten that feeling before when he went to the Town in the winter region. Feeling it again was not very pleasant. He slowly turned and looked behind him, trying to see what it was. Although he didn't see anything, his ears picked up the sounds of grass moving. He waited and waited, until he saw movement. The thing was still in the shadows, but the kitten mind made a signal saying, RUN, RUN, RUN!

And that's just what Ari did.

Just as Ari took off, so did the creature. As soon as it shot out into the sunlight, Air was able to see what it was. A giant snake.

This made Ari run faster. Since he was so small, a snake could swallow him whole. That was now a good way to die and Ari wasn't planning on dying yet. He kept on running, although the faster he went, the snake matched his speed. Through all of Ari's fear, he didn't notice that every time he would leap or jump, the bell around his neck would jingle. Since he was doing a lot of leaping, the bell jingled continually and loudly. This was heard by the ears of Stan and Epros, who both had crossed paths again and were trying to scratch each other's eyes out. They paused and listened to Ari's bell, noticing how the jingle didn't sound like it did when Ari was playing. They both looked at each other before racing off toward the jingling.

Back with Ari, he was now backed into a corner of two boulders. Now being face to face with the snake, he now noticed it was a demon. His red eyes piercing down at the orange kitten, trying to decide on what to do. He finally decided when he reared up, fangs out and ready. Ari rolled up into a ball and readied himself for the end.

Only... It never came.

Ari lifted his paw up to watch in amazement as Stan pinned the big head of the demon snake down while Epros was biting it around its' neck. The two bigger cats held the snake down long enough to let Ari escape. Ari had found a tree and climbed it, hiding in the branches. He listened to the fight, hoping both demons-cats would be okay. When silence was only heard Ari got uneasy. He didn't know if it was a good silence or a bad one. He soon heard something that calmed his fears.

"You stupid phantom! You almost scratched me!"

"Well if you weren't in the way, I was trying to make the demon pay!"

"He was already dead! I killed him!"

"Thou? Ha! It was I that lead him to his downfall! Thou didn't do anything at all!"

After that was the sound of cat hisses and growls. Ari shook his head and jumped down from the tree. He then ran over toward the two fighting cats and snuggled up to both of them. Stan and Epros blinked down at Ari before they both nuzzled him on the head.

"Hey, you're not hurt are you?" Ari looked up at Stan and shook his head. Stan sighed before glaring down at him. "That was a stupid thing to do! You are never leaving my sight again!" Ari blinked up at him before smiling.

"Sorry guys, I'll never do that again." Stan rolled his eyes while Epros gently pawed at Ari's head. The three stayed sitting there, checking for wounds they didn't see or feel. They were still checking when they all smelt something good coming from the direction of the house. They all looked at each other before racing off.

"Last one to the house has to suck up to Rosalyn for a whole week!"

-----

After they had gotten back to the house (Ari was the last one to reach the house, but since he made the rule he didn't have to do it), got something to eat, and played around some more, it was finally time for bed. Kilsing was no were in sight, probably in his room working on an antidote for the cat spell. The three girls said good night to the felines, Anne giving Ari a good scratch behind the ears before she went to bed. Big Bull was also in bed, but he had fallen asleep on the couch and not in his room. Ari was in his room too, watching as Stan and Epros fought over a bouncy ball. He shook his head before deciding to join in. He pounced on Stan, who in turn pinned him down, which caused Epros to pounce on Stan. This went on for awhile before Rosalyn's voice was heard.

"If you cats want to keep your fur I suggest you all go to bed!"

They quickly quit after that.

Since they were all small enough, they got to share a bed together. Both Stan and Epros stayed slightly away from each other, leaving a gap. Ari quickly filled it and snuggled between them. He nuzzled both before yawning.

"Night Stan. Night Epros." Stan gave a mumble while Epros said good night. After that, it was silent. The three felines were all asleep, the two cats' tails wrapped securely around the kitten's. The silence was soon filled with the sounds of the crickets and of the kitten's purring.

To be continued...

----

**REVIEWS ARE NICE! MORE REVIEWS THE FASTER I GET CHAPTER 4 UP:D**


	4. Chapter 4

**Oh thank the gods that I finally got over my dang writer's block. I just couldn't think of anything for crap and then it hit me! Hope you enjoy it! The plot somewhat thickens**

**Do not own the characters or game... I just write about it...**

* * *

Ari woke up to the feeling of warmth on either side of him. He slowly peeked an eye open to look at the still sleeping Stan, and opened the other to see Epros. Both cats were on either side of him, Stan's paw on top of Ari's back, holding him in a protective embrace, and Epros' paw on Ari's left paw. Ari smiled and re-closed his eyes. The heat coming from the other two was a really nice. It soon made Ari fall back into a light dose.

Which didn't last long.

Stan had woken up and curled more into Ari's form, which woke Epros up making him hiss and thus making the two get into a cat fight. Ari sighed and shook his head. He then yawned, stretched, and jumped down from the bed to find something to eat. The two other cats didn't even notice he had left the room, that is until they heard his little bell jingling as he went down the stairs. The two demons soon took off to catch up with their orange kitten crush.

-----

After the cats had gotten something to eat, and Stan and Rosalyn getting into a fight, Ari decided he wanted to go take a nap by the window. Stan and Epros, not tired or wanting to leave Ari out of their sight, explored the living room. Stan was exploring one side of the room while Epros made friends with all the dust bunnies on the other side. Epros soon found their lost rubber ball and started playing with it, batting it over toward Stan. The bouncy ball hit Stan in the head, but the demon didn't seem to mind. He and Epros soon were playing 'chase the ball' and 'tag' and soon wrestling on the ground. Stan had pinned Epros down when a soft 'din din' sound was heard. The two looked up expecting to see green eyes looking down at them. But the weren't. Ari had shifted so the other side of his feline body could get equal sunshine and he was sprawled out on the window ledge. He had one front paw dangling off the side and hind legs curled under him. Both demons stopped to stare at their crush, noticing how the Ari's orange fur shined in the sun and how his tail would curl or his whiskers would twitch. The two could stare all day...

... If it weren't for that dreadful vacuum cleaner.

All three felines nearly jumped to the ceiling when Ari's mom decided to clean the living room. They all ran out of the open window, Ari being the first out because he was the closest. They were all hiding in the tree when they decided that it wasn't going to come after them. Epros and Ari had climbed down the tree, Stan on the other hand had seen a bird's nest and decided to say 'hi'.

After the dreadful snake attack, Ari didn't want to loose sight of the house, and kept close to Epros. The two chased butterflies and grasshoppers (and each other), before deciding to see how far Stan had gotten to saying 'hi' to the bird. To their surprise, the bird was still alive, but poor Stan looked like he was about to pass out. Ari was the first to his aid, giving him little licks and combing down the ruffled fur. Epros stayed behind, glaring with envy as Stan got Ari's attention yet again, but couldn't help but laugh at Stan for not being able to catch a bird. Stan just glared at Epros before deciding to make the cat more jealous. He began to lick at one of Ari's ears and nuzzled the side of his head and gave Ari a kiss on the nose.

That made Epros snap.

Epros jumped on Stan and soon the two were at each other's throats. Ari just sat there, a bit dazed by what Stan was doing, but soon got back to his senses. He then got between the two, calming them both down and suggesting they go inside and see how Kilsing was doing with at potion. The two demons agreed, still glaring at each other. Ari smiled happily at them before running back inside through the window, making Stan and Epros follow.

-----

When they found Kilsing, he wasn't even working on the potion. Heck, he wasn't even awake! Stan's ears folded back and he scratched the professor on the cheek. It woke Kilsing up right away, the poor guy grabbing his face at the quite fierce scratch.

"Stupid professor! How can we turn back into our normal forms when you sleep and not work on the potion? You are quite useless!" Kilsing blinked at Stan before yawning.

"I am working on it. I was up all night fixing up this new potion! Here, see?" He held out a jar of green liquid that smelled like cherries for some reason. The three cats looked at it before blinking at Kilsing. The nutty professor smiled before handing a bowl out to them. "Go on, try it and see what happens."

Nobody moved.

It was Epros who dared a taste. He lapped at it a couple of times before backing away from it. The other two felines looked at him, wondering what was going to happen. Nothing happened for a long time and then... It happened.

Epros became a fluff ball.

Stan nearly fell off the desk top in his laughter and Ari was trying to find a face in all the fluff. After awhile, he found Epros' face, which looked really ticked.

"And... how is this suppose to help?" He said, once Ari freed his mouth from the fur. Kilsing made a 'hmm' sound before looking back at the liquid.

"Maybe I should work on it a bit more..." Stan was still laughing his little cat lungs out and if looks could kill, Stan would be a dead demon. Ari decided that they should leave and was the first out the door. Epros followed, after he untangled his feet from the fluff. He also had great pleasure in pushing Stan off the desk top, which cut off Stan's laughing. The two glared at each other before leaving the room and trying to find Ari.

-----

The found Ari in the bathroom, trying to drag a brush out of the bottom drawer. When he got it out, he dragged it over to Epros and smiled up at him.

"It's to help your fur!" Epros was soon rubbing himself on the brush, trying to brush the fur down and back to its' original state. Ari helped keep the brush down, while Stan, reluctantly, helped groom down Epros' golden fur. After about half an hour Epros was back to his normal self. While Ari went back to putting the brush back to where he found it, Epros was grooming down some spots that they had missed. There was one certain spot that the fur was quite ruffled, but he could not reach it. He kept on trying to fix it, turning one way to another. Stan, who was watching, rolled his eyes.

"Oh, stop squirming and sit still." He then licked down the spot that Epros was trying to fix, grooming it down so it went along with the rest of the fur. The ruby eyed phantom-cat blinked at Stan who in turn blinked back. The two stared at each other before hearing the familiar jingling sound of Ari. Epros broke the strange staring contest and smiled down at Ari.

"Thank thee for the idea for a brush. It would have taken too long for me to do it myself." Ari smiled up at Epros.

"you're welcome!" The three stayed in the room, staring at one another before the smell of food caught their attention. The sound of rumbling bellies was also heard. In a blink of an eye, the felines raced down the stares to get lunch.

-----

After three hours of being in the house and the Epros incident, the group decided to go swimming. Rosalyn, Linda, and Anne all hoping to get a tan while Big Bull and Kilsing stayed in the shade of trees. The three cats didn't get too close to the water at first, but were soon playing and splashing each other. Ari stayed on shore while the two bigger cats chased each other in the water. The hunted for fish and clams, poor Stan getting his tail pinched by a very vicious clam. Stan also decided to play a game called, 'let's get Rosalyn wet and see who survives'. He was the only one who played and nearly got his tail cut off. Epros and Ari watched from the safety of a tree while they watched the black cat running for his life from the now drenched Rosalyn. After about two hours of this, the group decided to leave for home. Stan, who was in the happiest mood, pounced on both Ari and Epros when they got out of the tree they hid in. The three felines got into another play fight before noticing that the rest of the group had left them. Deciding that it was okay with them, they took a slow walk back home. While they walked, Stan sort of rambled on how his world conquest was going.

"I have conquered most of the eastern lands but I took a break from the northern one, seeing as that stupid wash-bowl woman lives up there. It would be complicated to conquer it. James has been... away for some reason or another. And---"

"Stan, thee always talk about conquering. Have thee done anything for thou self that is fun and not conquering?" Stan paused for a moment before replying in a scoffing tone.

"I do not do anything of the sort! I have no time for dilly dally and fun!" Epros laughed at that.

"What do thee think he is doing now? Thee is not conquering and is spending time with Ari and friends." Stan glared at Epros before replying.

"This is different! Ari is my former slave and I should know how his well being is! As for the others I do not care for them, especially you." Something in Epros' eyes changed but if was so fast that Stan almost didn't see it. He was about to ask what that was about, but Ari beat him too it.

"Epros, are you okay? You looked sad.." Epros smiled down at the small kitten before replying.

"It must have been thou imagination, or the low sun's glint. I think we should hurry back to the house." With that, the subject was easily dropped and the cats hurried on home.

But the though still lingered in Stan's mind.

-----

Night fell quickly and soon everybody was getting ready for bed. Everybody was in bed, probably dreaming of happy things that had happen that day of what might be in the next. Every one was dreaming happily...

... All except Epros.

His dreams were filled with loneliness and suffering, and when he became a Fake Evil King. He was muttering and twitching in his sleep so much that is gained the attention of Ari. Ari blinked at Epros before trying to wake him. When that failed, he turned to Stan. Stan took awhile to wake before finally opening his sleepy eyes.

"Hmm? Ari? yawn What is it?" Stan asked as he looked at his former slave. He soon saw worry in them, making him more awake and protective. "What is it? Did something happen?" Ari pointed over to Epros with his paw.

"Stan, I think Epros is having a bad dream, but I can't wake him up..." If this was anyone else, Stan would have just fallen back asleep and ignored the statement, but since it was Ari and seeing Ari worried bothered Stan. Also, he didn't really like the way Epros' face looked pained and scared.

Why should he care, who knows.

Stan soon got up and gently nudged the blonde cat. When he didn't wake up, Stan went for a different plan.

He pounced on him, which woke Epros up.

Epros looked around the room wildly before seeing it was Stan and Ari next to him. Ari was the first by his side, asking him if he was alright and if he needed anything. Epros smiled down at Ari and licked his ear.

"No, I am alright. Just... A bad dream." Ari didn't look too reassured, but laid back down closer to Epros. Ari soon fell back to sleep, a comforting paw on Epros' paw. Epros smiled down at Ari before settling back down to sleep. He was about to doze off when a gentle paw was placed on his head. Epros opened his ruby eyes to look up into Stan's golden.

"You sure you're alright, phantom?" Stan whispered. Epros blinked up at him. Was Stan... Worried about him?" It took Epros awhile before he answered just as quietly.

"Yes, I am sure." Stan stared down at the phantom, his paw still on his head. He then slowly removed it and settled himself on the other side of Ari, snuggling up to the orange kitten. Epros stared at Stan's now sleeping form before he followed in the land of slumber. While he slept, he though he felt a cat tail wrap around him.

But... Then again... That could have been his dream.

--To be continued...

**What shall happen? Has the ruby eyed and the golden eyed fallen in love with each other? Or have I gone insane... I'm going toward me going insane.**

**review and I will think of something for chapter 5!**


	5. Chapter 5

**Another chapter is up and running:D Only one more chapter to go!**

**Disclaimer: Do not own.**

* * *

The next morning Stan slowly woke up. The black cat yawned before standing to stretch his legs and joints. After he was more awake, he looked around; noticing that Ari wasn't in the room. Stan blinked before sniffing the air, smelling the familiar scent of eggs and bacon. Stan decided that Ari must have gotten up earlier to get something to eat. He was about to jump down from the bed when he noticed the blonde cat curled in a tight ball. Stan stared at Epros for the longest time before going over to one of the blankets and folding it over Epros. The ruby-eyed cat relaxed more and fell into a calmer sleep. Stan let a small smirk cross his face before realization came over him.

He had just made sure Epros was comfortable, warm, and relaxed. There was something seriously wrong with him if he was being concerned about the stupid phantom.

Stan glared at the sleeping phantom before jumping off the bed. He was almost out the door when someone stopped him.

"Stan... Thanks..." Stan just huffed and went out the door, hoping to catch up with Ari. The ruby-eyed phantom smiled before snuggling back down in the warm blankets.

-----

After eating some breakfast, Stan caught up with the orange kitten, who was currently dragging out a large piece of paper out along with some paint. Stan blinked at him as he watched him try to squirt the paint into some bowls.

"Ari, what are you doing?" The kitten looked up and smiled at Stan.

"Morning Stan! I am going to do some painting! Do you want to join me?" How could Stan say no to such happy, sparkling green eyes? He laughed and helped Ari put the paints in the bowls. When they were done, the colors they had out were orange, black, yellow, red, green, and blue. Ari was currently moving the paint bottles out of the way when he asked Stan,

"Where is Epros? Is he alright?" Stan blinked up at him before snorting.

"That phantom is still sleeping. That nightmare of his probably delayed him of any sleep." Ari gave Stan a worried look before Stan added. "He should be doing fine. He was awake when I got up and I made him stay in bed and get more rest." This made Ari smile and rub up against Stan.

"Thanks, Stan. You know... You being a bit more concerned about Epros is rea--"

"Say sweet and face my wrath, Ari." Ari smiled uneasily before dunking a paw in the black paint. Once his paw was totally black he placed it on the paper and make streaks across it. Stan watched before dipping a paw into the green paint and making swirls around on the paper. At first the two were doing two different things, that is until Ari accidentally got red paint splattered on Stan's fur. Stan in turn flicked some green at Ari so that it looked like he had more than two eyes. The two cats soon got into a paint war, splashing paint on one another. They were having so much fun that they didn't even notice when they started getting paint on the other objects in the room that weren't suppose to get paint on them. After awhile the two stood up and looked down at the now multi colored paper, seeing different colored cat prints all over it and smears. They then looked up and saw the other mess that they made before looking at each other.

Uh oh...

The two soon sprang from their spot and out of the house before they could be spotted at the scene of the crime. When someone entered the room and saw the mess, it didn't take them long to figure out who did it since they saw multi-colored cat prints leading to the outside.

-----

Ari and Stan were at the lake, washing off most of the paint as they could. For Stan, it wasn't that hard to remove the paint since his fur was black. Ari on the other hand had orange fur and the blue and green paint didn't want to come out very well. Stan tried to help scrub the paint out, but it didn't work very well. Stan then got a strange idea. What if they put mud on the paint spots? They were sure to come out then!

Big mistake.

Instead of having blue and green paint spots on his fur, now he had brown spots covering his fur that was harder to get rid of. After about half an hour the two felines finally got Ari's fur looking back to normal. They got out of the water and dried off as quickly as possible before heading back toward the house.

-----

When they got back, the two got a big scolding from Ari's mother. The two cats looked down and sulked, making Ari's mom soften. She told them when they decided to paint again to do it outside. They both agreed and went off to find something to do. Stan found something to do right away, he went right up to Rosalyn and attacked her leg. Ari hid under the couch while Rosalyn attacked Stan. Soon the two were out the room, fighting and chasing each other. Ari poked his head out from under the couch, seeing that he didn't have Stan to keep him company any more. He sighed before wandering around the house, looking for something to do.

----Meanwhile, a half hour before----

Epros opened his ruby eyes and yawned. He finally had the strength to get up and walk around. He lingered a bit in bed, still thinking over what Stan did for him last night and this morning. He didn't understand it at all. Stan hated him and he hated Stan. It was suppose to stay that way, wasn't it? Epros was totally confused about his feelings toward Stan. He loved Ari and only Ari... Right? Epros sighed and jumped off the bed. His poor belly needed some food and he needed to go for a walk.

As he walked down the stairs, he heard a gasp and an angry mutter. Epros peeked his head over the staircase and saw the mess the other two cats had caused and Ari's angry mom. He also saw the cat prints leading out the door. Epros laughed before jumping down the last three steps and into the kitchen. There, he met up with Rosalyn, who was talking with Anne. It was Anne who saw him and smiled at the yellow cat.

"Good morning, Epros. Your up late, you just missed Stan and Ari. Those too are going to be in big trouble when they come back. Hope mom doesn't go too hard on them..." Rosalyn rolled her eyes.

"I bet it was Stan's crazy idea to paint. He deserves any sort of punishment." Epros laughed at this before his stomach made its' self known.

"Um... May I get something to eat please?" Anne made an 'oh' sound before getting up to get Epros some breakfast. Rosalyn shook her head before turning back to the newspaper. Her eyes widened at what she saw.

"Whoa! Hey look at this, it's said that tomorrow there is going to be a----" Just as she was about to say what it was, Kilsing had burst through the door.

"I almost have the potion done! I just need to test it!" Epros, already having had a bad experience with Kilsing's potions, ran and hid behind Rosalyn's feet. Kilsing looked down at Epros before frowning.

"Awe come on Epros! It won't hurt you." He made an attempt to get Epros to come out when Epros hissed and scratched at Kilsing. Kilsing yelped and backed off. Epros peeked out from under Rosalyn's chair before glaring at the professor.

"No thank you. Thy should try it out on Stan this time when he comes back." With that, Epros seated himself behind Rosalyn's feet. He stayed there until Kilsing left before going over to his breakfast.

-----

After he was finished eating, Epros wandered around the house with nothing to do. He went back up to Ari's room to find the long lost bouncy ball that he, Ari, and Stan had been playing with the previous days. He swatted at the ball a few times, but it wasn't as fun as it was when Stan and Ari played with him. He nudged it once more before jumping up onto the window still to see out into the yard. He took in the sight and watched some birds flying around. As Epros looked outside, his eyes started to droop and he yawned sleepily. He was just starting to close his eyes all the way when something caught his eye. It was a blur of black and orange. Epros snapped his eyes open before smiling.

Stan and Ari were back.

From the way their fur looked, they had just come back from the lake. 'Probably to wash away the paint...' Epros thought with a smirk. He slowly got up and stretched, yawned, and jumped down from the ledge. He walked out of the room and was at the edge of the steps when Stan when speeding past him. Poor Epros was knocked over and fell down three of the steps. He shook his head to clear it before glaring daggers at the black cat hiding in the hallway closet.

"Dost thy mind? Where is thee going in such a hurry?" Stan blinked his golden eyes at Epros for a moment before smirking.

"I'm hiding from Rosalyn. She's mad at me for biting her leg." The cat snickered before bolting off into a different room. Epros rolled his eyes before getting out of the way when Rosalyn came running up the stairs with her rapier in hand. As Epros made his way down the stairs, he heard such foul language coming out of both hero and demon's mouths you wouldn't believe it. The had just reached the bottom step when he was pounced on by the overly happy ball of orange fluff.

"Hi, Epros!" Epros smiled up at the bright green-eyed kitten that was currently on him.

"Good morrow. I have heard thy and Stan have gotten into trouble while I was sleeping?" Ari looking down, sadness in his eyes.

"Yes, Stan and I got a little crazy while we were painting. Mom wasn't very happy..."

"Yes, I heard." Epros and Ari sat in silence for a while before the sound of footsteps was heard.

"Stan! Epros! Ari! I have made new adjustments to my potion! I need one of you to try it out!" When Kilsing got into the living room, he couldn't find anyone. The two felines had snuck out the front door and into the front yard.

------

Epros and Ari decided to go and hide up on the roof. It was quite warm, sunny, and Kilsing would never find them up there. While they lay there, they talked a bit. For Epros, it was about how things were going in the circus, Linda, the Ring Master, the Former Rat Evil King, and some magic he had learned recently. For Ari it was mostly just about his family. Epros assumed that after the Princess left, Ari went slightly back into his over-shadowed state. This was one of the reasons why the gang got back together once every other month. They were all concerned for Ari, especially Stan. It was even his idea to start with. Epros sighed before snuggling his head next to Ari's. The orange kitten was asleep and purring slightly from the warmth of the sun. Epros smiled before closing his ruby eyes and falling into a light doze.

--------

It was about two thirty when Anne and Rosalyn decided to go to town and buy some groceries. While they were walking outside, they were talking about the normal girly stuff and the latest fashions. They were still talking when they saw the two lazy felines up on the roof. They both giggled at the sight, since Epros was lying on his back and Ari's head was resting on it. They were starting to leave when Anne got an idea. She turned and walked back over to the house; making it so she right by the cats.

"Ari, Rosalyn and I are going to the store. Do you want to come with us and pick out some food that you like?" Ari lifted his head up a bit to look at her before yawning. He got up and stretched and then walked over to the edge of the roof so he could look down at his little sister.

"Don't you two want to have a girl time alone?" Anne and Rosalyn giggled before answering.

"Come on Ari, it must get boring just staying here." Ari opened his mouth to say something, but Rosalyn beat him to saying what was on his mind.

"Don't worry about Stan and Epros. I don't think they need you to break up any fights. I'm sure they would stay away from each other while your gone." Ari looked down at them before looking back at the now awake Epros. The yellow cat smiled before winking.

"Go on with your sister. I will be okay and will keep Stan out of trouble." Ari smiled and nodded.

"Okay, bye Epros." Ari then jumped down and landed on Rosalyn's shoulder with feline grace. He earned a few pets from Anne and then they left for town.

This now left Epros alone with no one to spend time with. This made him slightly sad, but it would be good for Ari to spend time with Rosalyn and Anne for a change. He had been spending so much time with Stan and Epros. With a sigh, Epros slowly got up and jumped down from the roof and back into the house.

-----

It was a good hour since Ari had left. Epros was now lying on the sofa, curled in a tight little ball. When he had fallen asleep, the nightmares he had the night before were coming back to haunt him. He was currently twitching when something pounced on top of him. Epros gasped and swatted at whatever fell on him. Unfortunately, when he did that he fell off the couch with a loud thud. He continued to swat aimlessly until something grasped the scruff of his neck. This stilled his movements instantly, making him go limp and motionless. After about twenty seconds, Epros was released from the strange grasp. While Epros got his senses back to normal, the other being made himself known.

"Hey you stupid phantom. What do you think you're doing trying to attack moi?" Epros glared up at Stan before sitting up to face him eye to eye.

"I could ask thy the same question. What is thy doing pouncing on me?" Stan merely shrugged before jumping up onto the couch and lying down. Epros also jumped up on the couch, but stayed a good distance away from Stan. While he got himself comfortable, Stan watched him out of the corner of his eyes. Once Epros was comfortable again, he laid his head between his paws and tried to go back to sleep. He was about to drift off again when he felt the weight of something on his upper back. Epros opened his eyes to see Stan resting his head on Epros' shoulder blades and upper back. His eyes were closed, but Epros knew he was awake. It was quiet for a long time before Stan broke the silence.

"How long have you been having nightmares, phantom?" Epros remained quiet before answering softly.

"About three weeks after our adventure." Stan made a strange noise, his ears were laid back.

"That was almost a year ago, Epros. Is this why you never sleep at night?" Epros was starting to get uncomfortable with the topic. He didn't want to talk about his recent nightmares, especially to Stan. Stan would have been the last person he would ever want to talk to about this topic. What bothered him even more was that Stan knew he wasn't sleeping at night. Epros often would stay up late at night and wait for the others to fall asleep before going to sleep himself. He was the last to fall asleep and the first to get up. He really didn't want to talk about it. Epros sighed. He didn't really have a choice he guessed. Stan was currently lying on top of him, making it impossible for him to move at the moment.

Stan must have been sensing his unease, for he got off of his back and laid next to him so they could look face to face. Epros was currently avoiding Stan's eyes, looking down at his own paws.

"You know Ari's worried about you, don't you? The first thing he asked me this morning was if you were okay." Epros now felt really bad for worrying Ari. His ears drooped and he laid his head down in his paws. He looked up at Stan when he put his own paw on his head, just like what he did last night. The two demons stared at each other before Stan removed his paw. He then leaned his head down and nuzzled Epros' own head. Epros remained still, but was quite uncomfortable. He had never seen this side of Stan before it was really strange.

When Stan sat up, there was much mischief in his eyes. Epros was about to ask him what he was doing when he was hit pretty hard with Stan's paw.

"OW!" Epros glared up at Stan. Stan just smirked before running off. Epros growled before chasing after him. The two soon got into a fight before they heard the front door open. The both looked up to see Rosalyn and Anne walk in the door. A quite playful kitten was hiding in the bags the two girls were carrying. As soon as Ari saw Stan and Epros he leapt out of the bag and ran into the two cats. Soon, the three felines were running around the room, chasing each other and talking about how their day went. Epros was getting worried that Stan might say something about the nightmares he had been having. He was going to tell the black cat not to say anything, since he didn't want to worry Ari, but Stan took care of it.

"The phantom and I had a chat about what we should be doing tomorrow. I think we should go to the lake tomorrow. What do you think Air?" Ari smiled and nodded.

"That sounds great! I also know what we could do tomorrow! I heard Rosalyn and Anne taking about it. Tomorrow there is suppose to be a----" But poor Ari was distracted when Kilsing came into the room.

"Great! There you three are! I have a new potion!" The three felines looked at each other before running into the kitchen to hide by Rosalyn. Kilsing sighed. "Come on! Nothing bad will happen." For an answer, three hisses were heard from the kitchen.

-----

It was well past eleven at night when the felines decided to go to bed. Epros, not wanting to go to sleep, tried to talk the other two into staying up later. It didn't work very well, since Ari looked like he was going to fall asleep at any second. Stan had to carry the sleepy kitten up and into bed. Once Stan placed Ari on the bed, he jumped down from the bed and walked over to were Epros was. The phantom was staring out of the window, looking sort of sad. Stan stared up at him before grabbing a hold of Epros' tail and giving it a good yank. Poor Epros fell off the window ledge and on top of Stan. The black cat glared at Epros before going and jumping back up on the bed.

"Come on, Phantom. You're all ready sleep deprived. You'll worry Ari even more." Epros blinked up at Stan before sighing. He also jumped on the bed and snuggled up to Ari on his side. He closed his eyes and tried to go to sleep. Stan stared at him before shaking his head. He then got up and went over to Ari's bed stand. The red music box was still sitting there, wound and ready to go. The black cat gently opened the lid with his nose. Once open, the melody began to play softly. It made Epros open his eyes and stare strangely at Stan. He swore he thought he saw him smile. The can came back over to Epros and Ari, rubbing against Ari's head and then going over to Epros and did the same to him as he did to Ari. Stan then settled down on Ari's side and lay his head down. Epros stared at him before smiling.

"Thank you, Stan." The other cat grunted before closing his eyes. Epros smiled before laying down himself, the melody of the music box lulling him in a peaceful sleep. When he was finally asleep, Stan opened his own eyes. He looked at Epros before smiling and saying softly,

"Night, Epros. Sweet Dreams."

----- To be continued

* * *

I wonder what it is that everybody keeps trying to say? We will find out in the last chapter!


	6. Chapter 6

**Ha. Okay I decided to split this chapter up so this is not the last chapter. I have one more to go so yay for more chapters:D **

* * *

The sun was just beginning to rise into the sky when Ari woke up. The orange kitten blinked his sleepy eyes before rolling around on the bed, trying to find a comfortable position. When he could not get a cozy spot, he decided to get up for the day. Standing and stretching, Ari looked around at his two companions, seeing that they are both asleep. Stan was sleeping on his back, his paws twitching in the air. Epros was curled up in a ball by the pillow, his tail twitching slightly. Ari smiled before going over to Stan. As much as he wanted to wake Epros up, he figured that the phantom needed his sleep. Ari sat next to Stan, looking down at him before nudging him with his paw. When he got no response, he did it again.

"Stan? Are you awake yet?"

"...No."

"Yes you are! Come on Stan get up!" A growl was heard from the black feline.

"No."

"Please?"

"..."

"Stan?"

"... I'm sleeping."

"No you're not! Get up! I want to play!"

Stan didn't have enough time to move when the orange kitten pounced on poor Stan. The black cat jumped to his feet to avoid another pounce from Ari, but he accidentally fell off the side of the bed. Groaning, the yellow eyed cat glared up at the emerald ones looking down at him from the edge of the bed. Stan continued to glare up at Ari before an evil little smirk found its way across his muzzle. Ari saw this and quickly jumped away from the edge of the bed, but that didn't stop Stan from pouncing up onto the bed. The bigger feline cornered Ari, looking at him like he would a mouse. Ari smiled uneasily before looking past Stan, trying to see if Epros was awake yet.

He was and in a pounce position. Epros had woken from the sound of Stan falling off the bed and was currently in a frisky mood. Ari smiled before looking back at Stan. Stan blinked, wondering why Ari was smiling like that before finally realizing that Epros was still in the room. He turned just in time to watch Epros pounce.

"Gah! Get off of me you stupid phantom!" Soon, the two cats were wrestling around on the bed, trying to claw and bite each other. Ari looked back and forth between them, trying to figure out whose side he should help. Before he could pick a side though, Anne came into the room. She stared in confusion at the two fighting cats before turning to her brother.

"Come on Ari! Breakfast is ready!" With that, she picked up the kitten Ari and took him out of the room. Stan and Epros were still fighting on the bed. The two then accidentally fell off the edge of the bed, Stan landing on top of Epros. He then pinned the smaller cat before he realized that Ari was nowhere to be seen. He looked around before looking down at the pinned yellow cat.

"Hey, Phantom, do you know where Ari went?" Epros squirmed under Stan before laying his ears against his head in frustration.

"How would I know when thou has been fighting with me?" Stan growled before pawing at Epros' head.

"Hey! That's your own fault! You pounced on me first." Epros growled before lashing his tail out.

"Well then, get off so we can find Ari." Stan made a scoffing noise. He then leaned down and licked one of Epros' flattened ears before jumping off Epros and walking over to the door. Epros, quite startled, stood and started to smoothen out his matted fur, glaring at Stan while he did it. Stan looked over his shoulder and smirked, making Epros' scowl darken. When he was finished smoothing out his fur, Epros ran up to Stan, who was currently sitting down and patiently waiting for Epros to finish. Epros then swatted at Stan's head before running off. Little stars clouded Stan's vision for about ten seconds before he growling and running to catch up with Epros.

--------------

After rejoining Ari in the kitchen and eating breakfast, the three felines went out into the living room to see what everybody else was doing. Kisling was still working on a potion to turn the three cats back into their normal forms, Big Bull had gone out to go shopping with Linda, Ari's mom was in the kitchen and his dad was out at the office, his grandma and grandpa were in one of the other rooms, and Anne and Rosalyn were just sitting in the living room. The two girls looked slightly bored when the three felines found them. When Anne saw them, she looked like she had an idea. She leaned over and whispered in Rosalyn's ear. Soon both girls were looking at the three felines and smiling. Both Stan and Epros looked at each other uneasily while Ari happily pranced over to the two girls.

"Hi, Anne! Hi, Rosalyn! What are you two up to?" The two girls smiled down at Ari.

"Hello there, Ari! Rosalyn and I are bored and we were wondering..." Stan glared up at Anne.

"Why are you stopping? What is your idea? It had better be a good one." Both Anne and Rosalyn smiled a somewhat evil smile, making both Stan and Epros uneasy about there idea.

"Well... You have to promise to do it if we tell you." Stan's glare darkened.

"What? No! I'm not promising anything!" Epros just nodded in agreement. Ari looked back at them and frowned.

"Awe, come on guys. It can't be that bad." Both cats looked at Ari before looking at each other and sighing.

"Fine... We'll do it." Both girls laughed gleefully and almost evilly. This made Stan and Epros more uncomfortable.

_'This is going to be bad...'_

-------- 10 minutes later ---------

"Washbowl women! When I regain my original form I swear I'll---"

"You'll what? Sick James on me? What's he going to do? Give me a warning to leave his master alone?" Rosalyn then finished putting on a frilly doll hat on top of Stan's head before sitting back to look at her handy work. All three felines were put in doll outfits and sitting around a little doll table. Ari was wearing a blue sailor outfit and wearing a sailor hat that was a bit too big for him. Epros was wearing something that resembled Ari's outfit, only his was black. Poor Stan got the worse of them all. He was wearing a big, poofy, frilly pink dress and a huge matching hat. The other two could barely see Stan over all of the frillys. Two ticked off yellow eyes glared out from the frillys and watched as Rosalyn was setting the table up for what the two girls had planned to do with the felines. Then, Anne came in the room carrying some treats and a teapot. She smiled down at the felines before setting down all of the things she brought.

"It's tea time! I've never had a tea party with kitties before!"**(1)** Stan glared up at her, but couldn't respond because of all of the frillys. Epros squirmed in his seat before speaking up.

"Um, Anne? How long did thou say we had to do this?" Anne stopped what she was doing to think.

"Well... I guess until we get tired of having a tea party or run out of food." She shrugged and handed Rosalyn some tea cups to put around the table. The two then sat down on opposite sides of each other; Rosalyn sitting between Epros and Stan and Anne sitting beside Ari. Rosalyn poured some tea into a small cup and looked over at the black cat buried in pink frills.

"Would you like some tea, Miss Stanley?" A loud hiss was heard from the frill as when she said that. Rosalyn took no mind to it and placed the small cup in front of Stan. Anne did the same thing, placing a cup in front of both Epros and Ari. She then took some biscuits and gave everybody one. Soon, they were all drinking tea and eating biscuits, well, almost everyone. Stan had some difficulty trying to move with all of the frilliness and poofyness. The two girls then began to talk about what they were going to do after the tea party and that night.

"You know, I'm so excited for tonight! I can't wait to watch the---" But like always, Rosalyn was interrupted by none other than Kisling. He was carrying a small pitcher of gray liquid that smelled like maple leaves. He smiled in triumph and set it down in front of the tea partiers.

"I think I got it! I know this will turn you all back to your normal selves!" Epros stared at the jar uneasily while Ari looked at it and then back at Kisling.

"Kisling, how do you know that it will turn us back into our normal forms? And why does it smell like maple leaves?" Kisling blinked before smelling the liquid. He then shrugged.

"I don't know. It might have to do with the mixture of syrup from yesterday's breakfast and some mashed up vegetables..." The whole group looked up at him strangely.

"You put... Vegetables in the potion?" Kisling nodded before pouring Stan, Epros, and Ari some of the liquid in each of their tea cups. The three felines looked at the liquid uneasily before looking back up at Kisling.

"Thou know... Thou never answered the 'how do thou know it will turn us back to normal' question." Epros pointed out as he moved the cup away from him with his paw. Kisling looked hurt almost but soon got over it.

"I just have a feeling that it will turn you back! That's all. Oh, and before you drink it I think it would be best if you take off those doll clothes." The three cats looked down at themselves before trying to wiggle out of their outfits. Anne helped Ari and Epros out of their sailor outfits while Rosalyn had the time of her life trying to help Stan.

"Stan! Just hold still you stupid Evil King!" She finally managed to remove the frilly pink dress and hat without Stan trying to scratch her or rip the doll outfit. Once all three felines were freed from the doll outfits, they returned to looking at the gray liquid. There was a long silence in the air before Stan drank his potion. Ari then did the same while Epros cautiously licked at it a few times before drinking it. After the liquid was gone, the felines, Rosalyn, Anne, and Kisling all waited to see what would happen.

Nothing happened.

Stan, Epros, and Ari looked at each other before down at themselves to see if some sort of change happened, but there was nothing. Nothing changed. Kisling sighed before looking back at the potion.

"Oh well... I guess I'll have to try again..." With that, he walked away. The three felines were put in a depressed mood suddenly, looking sadly at each other before looking up at Rosalyn and Anne when they moved to clean up the tea party. Rosalyn sighed before looking down at the defeated looking kitties.

"Don't worry; I'm sure you'll turn back into your original state... Someday..." The three felines watched her as she and Anne left to go put the unused dishes away and clean the used ones. Silence then filled the air once they were gone. Ari looked around sadly before spotting the ball that they had been playing with for the past few days. He walked over to it and picked it up with his mouth and brought it back to Stan and Epros. The other two looked down at him and then saw the ball. Ari held the ball in his mouth for a moment longer before he dropped it and pawed it over at Epros. Epros stared down at it before pawing it over to Stan, who in turned pawed it back. Epros' ears flattened and he pawed the ball harder toward Stan. Stan then pawed it back harder, the ball missing it original destination and bouncing off the wall and coming back to hit Epros in the back of the head. Epros rubbed the back of his head with his tail before he glared at Stan. Stan glared back at Epros before suddenly pouncing on Epros. Ari laughed before joining in on the fun. Soon, they were laughing and pouncing on each other like they had been the past few days. Epros picked up the ball again before pawing it over to Ari, who pawed it over to Stan, who chucked it at Epros. Epros managed to move so the ball didn't hit him in the head, but that made the ball bounce against a bunch of other things. The three felines watched as the ball hit the wall and then another wall, and then the ceiling, and then going through the window. The shattering of the glass got almost everybody's attention. They all rushed into the living room to see all of the broken glass, but not the culprits. Ari's mom scowled and crossed her arms.

"I hope those cats plan on cleaning up this mess! I had to clean up the last mess they made with the paint!" Rosalyn just sighed before looking around and crossing her arms.

"Where did those felines go to anyway?"

-------- Meanwhile, somewhere near the lake --------

"Oh man, mom is going to kill us..." Stan rolled his eyes and splashed the orange kitten with water.

"Oh hush. We can easily fix the stupid window later." The black cat's attention was soon taken by a chirping bird. Stan smirked before prowling over to the singing bird and pounced. Unfortunately, the bird jumped out of the way, making Stan land head first into the trunk of the tree. The bird that Stan was trying to get at then flew up into the same tree that Stan had hit. Stan rubbed his throbbing head, glaring up at the bird and the now laughing yellow cat. He then began to climb the tree to get at the bird. "Oh, when I get my paws on you! You shall face the wrath of the great Evil King!" The bird just looked down at him and chirped. The black feline growled before leaping up at the bird. Sadly, he jumped a little farther than he planed. The bird just sat there and watched as the cat go over him and land on the other side of the bird. Stan dug into the branch before looking back at the bird. He then looked down and glared down at the still laughing Epros. "What are you laughing at, Phantom?" The ruby eyed cat was rolling around on the ground and laughing so hard he couldn't speak. Ari was looking up at Stan in worry.

"Stan! Be careful! The last time you tried to catch a bird the bird nearly pecked your eyes out." The Evil King scoffed before looking down at Ari.

"That bird did not almost peck my eyes out! I would have had that bird if only I didn't fall off the branch! I am an expert at catching birds!" With that, Stan made another leap for the bird, but once again the bird flew away, making Stan once again run into the trunk. This made Epros laugh harder and harder, making Stan madder and madder. He then made one more rash attempt at trying to catch the bird, failing once again. He landed at the tip of the branch and swung around to look at the bird again. Before he could do anything, there was an odd cracking sound. Stan blinked and looked down at the skinny branch, which was starting to break under his weight. Soon, Stan found himself falling. Both Ari and Epros watched as Stan fell from the tree and into the water. Both felines looked at each other before running over to the edge of the lake. They peered out at the water, looking for any signs of their Evil King Kitty. Still not seeing Stan, only their reflections, Ari and Epros began to worry about him.

"Um, Epros? Stan does know how to swim, right?" Epros looked at Ari before looking back at the water.

"I should think so... Stan was just swimming with us two days ago..." Epros continued staring down at the water before sighing. He then jumped into the water and swam around the area Stan had fallen in. He then took a deep breath before diving down to try and find the Evil King. This left Ari alone to stare at the rippling water. He then began to pace around the water's edge and paw small pebbles into the water. When there was no sign of both Stan and Epros, Ari began to panic.

_'Oh! Where are they? They both can swim can they not? Where are they?' _Finally, Ari couldn't take it anymore and jumped into the water and dove down into the water in search for his two demons. Soon, all was quiet, except for the chirping of the bird that had started it all. A few more moments went by before all three resurfaced. Coughing and gasping, the trio made their way to the shore. Stan, still gasping for air, glared up at the bird in the tree and growled at it.

"Oh, when I get my hands on you!" The bird looked down at Stan and chirped. Stan growled again before shaking a fist at the bird. "Oh! You're not so innocent! You are an evil little---" Stan stopped before looking at his fist.

Fist?

Looking up at his arm and then back at Ari and Epros and smiled.

"Well, what do you know? That crazy professor actually did it! Hey you two! Look! Were back to our normal selves!"

----- To be continued

* * *

**(1) branchman actually put this into my head after she commented on the last chapter. I just couldn't resist putting this in here and making the kitties dress up :D  
**

**So, now there is one more chapter to go! What shall happen? **


	7. Final Chapter

**My goodness! I FINALLY FINISHED! It's been like... three years? -_- Epic FAIL! D:**

**Chapter is really short too, short for my standards anyway. Hope this doesn't come off as rushed, and that people like it. I may add a longer last chapter, but I wanted to finish this before college started. Cuz I so would have finished it then! *sarcasm***

**Disclaimer: DO NOT OWN!**

* * *

Ari gazed up at the night sky, ready for something to happen. Seeing nothing, he risked looking behind him to his friends. They were all scattered about the field, Rosalyn, Annie, and Linda in a group together, while Kisling and Big Bull were in another. Stan and Epros were nowhere to be found.

A frown came over Ari's features before looking up at the sky, patiently waiting for something to happen. Behind him, he listened to Kisling explaining to Big Bull about the constellations and the shower that was suppose to happening right now. Annie had been talking about it all week, but it was only this morning that Ari really heard anything about it. Though, no one could blame him for not paying attention. Thinking back, Ari replayed his life as a cat. It was quite different, but exciting. His senses heightened, the littlest movement sending thrills of chase through is furry body, and the joys of being curled between two equally furried bodies.

Having his mind brought back to Stan and Epros, the green-eyed boy looked around again. Still, there was no sight of the Demon King and the Phantom.

Shoulders slumped, Ari made to stand when tanned hands grasped him. Gasping, Ari soon found himself swept up into the air and in the arms of the Evil King Stan. Ari glared, but only provoked a deep laugh from Stan. He was soon cut off by Rosalyn, who threatened to stab him in places that would be _very _uncomfortable. Growling, Stan set his slave back on his feet.

Once standing upright did he notice Epros, who had silently come with Stan. He gave Ari a sweet smile, and kissed him on the cheek. Not one to be out done, Stan also placed a quick peck to Ari's other cheek. Embarrassed by their openness and the stares they were getting, Ari quickly hid his face in his hands and sat down. A soft chuckle was heard before strong arms rewrapped themselves around the red-head. Looking up, Ari found himself sandwiched between his two lovers (did he dare call them that?), both having loving expressions on their faces.

Attention drawn to his lovers, he almost didn't see the start of the star shower.

Stars fell around the group of friends, resembling dancing fairies. Awes and oohs came forth, everyone in bliss at what they saw. The sight was so enjoyable, but Ari soon found that his neck was being strained in his position.

The angle must have hurt Stan's neck, too, for he flung himself down, pulling both Ari and Epros with him. This earned him a glare from the phantom, and a giggle from his slave. They fell silent, watching the stars as they fell away from their comrades. As the lovers lay there, Ari was once reminded of their time as cats, curled up on the bed and using their body heat as warm. He smiled, giving a content purr.

He knew, that he was a fortunate boy to have not one, but two people to love.

~fin.

* * *

**Cliche? Well I think it's cute! ****Also, I ****purposely had no dialouge. Thought it would add to it. Hopefully, this chapter doesn't affect the way I wrote the earlier chapters. My writing style has changed a lot before now.**

**Now that this is finished, I need to add the last chapter of my other story. And to start my new Okage fic. **


End file.
